


Now Let Me Hold Your Hand

by rsadelle



Category: Once a Thief (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Holding Hands, Post-Finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 07:49:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12294627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rsadelle/pseuds/rsadelle
Summary: They file into the Director's room. The head of the bed is tilted up so she's almost in a seated position. In a hospital gown in a hospital bed with monitors attached to her she somehow manages to look both vulnerable and commanding.





	Now Let Me Hold Your Hand

**Author's Note:**

> Title from The Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand."

They get separated to have their injuries looked to. Mac's bruises from where Michael dropped the light fixture on him are deep enough that the docs take X-rays. There are a couple of burns and scrapes that he wouldn't worry too much about on his own, but a nurse bandages them up while the docs look over his X-rays.

"You can go home," one doc finally tells him. "Nothing's broken. But stay off your feet as much as you can, and I want to see you back here in three days."

Vic and Li Ann are already done when he's let out of the room, sitting in two of a row of three chairs. Mac drops into the one on the other side of Vic.

Li Ann leans around Vic to look at Mac. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just have to take it easy." Mac's tired, and he can feel the bruises across his legs. "You?"

"We're fine," Vic says.

That just leaves one of them, and Mac is almost afraid to ask. "The Director?"

"Still in surgery," Li Ann says. "They'll come let us know how she is later."

Mac leans his head back against the wall. "You sure they'll tell us anything?"

"Yes," Vic says. "Li Ann threatened Dobrinsky. He might actually be afraid of her."

Mac closes his eyes and smiles faintly. He has a hard time imagining Dobrinsky being afraid of anyone, but he has faith in Li Ann.

They wait for a long time. Mac's exhausted, but too strung out to fall asleep. Vic and Li Ann take turns getting coffee, and they switch seats a couple of times, whichever one of them is there staying right by Mac's side.

It's Vic sitting there to nudge him when Dobrinsky and a doctor come to find them.

Mac straightens up. "Is she okay?"

"We were able to get the bullet out and repair most of the damage," the doctor says. "She lost a lot of blood. We'll need to keep her here for a while, but so far cognitive function seems fine, and we think she'll make a full recovery."

Mac, Vic, and Li Ann exchange looks.

"She's going to be in a lot of danger while she's recovering," Li Ann says.

"We have it covered for now," Dobrinsky says. "You'll be on security rotations when you're cleared for duty."

Mac breathes easier. He and Dobrinsky are never going to be pals, but Dobrinsky knows his job and Mac trusts him to keep the Director safe.

"Can we see her?" Vic asks.

"Yes," the doctor says, "but not for long. She's awake and lucid right now, but she needs to rest to let her body do the rest of the work."

Awake and lucid means either the docs waited to let them know how she is or the Agency has some sort of anesthesia with a rapid recovery time. Knowing the Agency, both possibilities are equally likely.

They file into the Director's room. The head of the bed is tilted up so she's almost in a seated position. In a hospital gown in a hospital bed with monitors attached to her she somehow manages to look both vulnerable and commanding.

"You're still here," she says. Her voice is thready enough that her tone lacks some of its usual bite.

"We had to know you were okay," Li Ann says.

The Director smiles faintly at them. "That's very sweet of you. Now go home. You're no good to the Agency until you get some rest."

Vic steps up to her and rests his hand gently on her shoulder. "We're glad you made it out."

"Thank you, Victor."

Li Ann repeats the gesture. "Get better soon. We're good on our own, but better with you."

The smile she gets from the Director for that is positively warm. "I'm glad you've realized that."

Then it's Mac's turn. He pulls the room's single chair closer to the bed and sits down in it. "You guys go. I'm staying."

Vic and Li Ann exchange looks.

"Are you sure?" Li Ann asks.

Mac looks at them, so they can see he means it. "Yes."

Vic squeezes his shoulder, and Li Ann leans over to hug him before they leave.

"Don't be ridiculous, Mac," the Director says. "You need rest."

"I'm not leaving," Mac says.

"Mac."

"You got shot!" Mac's voice gets loud, and his hands are shaking, and she's alive but she got shot and she could have died.

"And I'll be fine." It's almost right, almost her normal tone, but he can hear the exhaustion in it.

Mac reaches across the space between them and takes her hand in his. "You got shot," he says, quieter this time.

She's silent for a while, just letting him hold her hand.

"You know," she says eventually, "we've never held hands before."

When Mac looks up, there's a bit of a smile on her face, something of the challenge that always gets him to do whatever she wants him to do.

Mac cracks a smile. "Yeah, this is probably the weirdest thing we've ever done. Even weirder than that thing with the umbrella and the cookie cutters."

She chuckles faintly, and Mac laughs, and then he can't stop and maybe it's going to turn into crying and he leans over and puts his head down on the bed next to her, the top of his head just touching her side.

She strokes her free hand gently over his hair. "I'll be all right, Mac."

He takes a couple of deep breaths before he can turn his head to look at her. "I'm still not leaving."

She leaves her hand resting on his head for a moment. "Well, you're not sharing my bed right now." She presses the call button, and in what seems like no time, there's a second bed in the room and Mac is reaching across the scant space between them to hold her hand while she falls asleep.

It would be better to be in bed with her, where he could feel her breathe, but feeling the warmth of her hand in his is enough for now.


End file.
